Speed limit change proposed for some roadways

Two senators propose raising the speed limit on Florida's interstates to 75 mph.

AP Photo

By The News Service of Florida

Published: Wednesday, November 13, 2013 at 09:15 PM.

TALLAHASSEE — A bipartisan measure filed in the Florida Senate this week could shorten those long drives on Interstate 10.

Sens. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, and Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, proposed a bill (SB 392) that would allow a 75 mph speed limit on some highways and also boost speeds on other roads.

Brandes said the idea is to adjust speed limits on interstates and certain rural highways to accurately reflect what most motorists are already driving.

“If people are driving within rates they’re comfortable with, we need to adjust the minimum and maximums speeds to what 85 percent of people are already driving,” Brandes said.

The proposal would direct the state Department of Transportation to determine the safe maximum speed limits on all divided highways that have at least four lanes.

The DOT would then be able to increase travel on the state’s “limited access highways” to 75 mph and raise the maximum posted limit on divided four-lane highways in sparsely populated rural areas from 65 mph to 70 mph. The DOT could also hike speeds by 5 mph, to 65 mph, on other roads it deems safe.

Florida’s highways have had a 70 mph maximum since 1996, the last time the speed limit was reviewed.

In a news release, the senators pointed to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration numbers that indicate the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled has consistently declined since 1996.

However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Arlington, Va., said raising speed limits above 70 mph, as 16 states have done, has led to more deaths from speeding accidents as reaction times are reduced.

“Higher speeds make crashes more likely because it takes longer to stop or slow down, and the crashes that happen are more likely to be deadly,” said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute.

The senators said they are comfortable allowing state engineers to determine if any increase is warranted.

“A five mile per hour increase is unlikely to have an impact on road safety, but we’ll let the experts do their job,” Clemens said in the news release.

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TALLAHASSEE — A bipartisan measure filed in the Florida Senate this week could shorten those long drives on Interstate 10.

Sens. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, and Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, proposed a bill (SB 392) that would allow a 75 mph speed limit on some highways and also boost speeds on other roads.

Brandes said the idea is to adjust speed limits on interstates and certain rural highways to accurately reflect what most motorists are already driving.

“If people are driving within rates they’re comfortable with, we need to adjust the minimum and maximums speeds to what 85 percent of people are already driving,” Brandes said.

The proposal would direct the state Department of Transportation to determine the safe maximum speed limits on all divided highways that have at least four lanes.

The DOT would then be able to increase travel on the state’s “limited access highways” to 75 mph and raise the maximum posted limit on divided four-lane highways in sparsely populated rural areas from 65 mph to 70 mph. The DOT could also hike speeds by 5 mph, to 65 mph, on other roads it deems safe.

Florida’s highways have had a 70 mph maximum since 1996, the last time the speed limit was reviewed.

In a news release, the senators pointed to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration numbers that indicate the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled has consistently declined since 1996.

However, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in Arlington, Va., said raising speed limits above 70 mph, as 16 states have done, has led to more deaths from speeding accidents as reaction times are reduced.

“Higher speeds make crashes more likely because it takes longer to stop or slow down, and the crashes that happen are more likely to be deadly,” said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute.

The senators said they are comfortable allowing state engineers to determine if any increase is warranted.

“A five mile per hour increase is unlikely to have an impact on road safety, but we’ll let the experts do their job,” Clemens said in the news release.